The youngsters are coming and the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is evidence of this. Russia’s Daria Kasatkina will take on Japan’s Naomi Osaka for what will be the biggest title of both of their careers.
A lot will be at stake for both players, but here are five key things to take note of.
The battle of the youngsters
Sunday’s final will feature 20-year-old Kasatkina against 20-year-old Osaka. It is the first time that two players under the age of 21 will fight for the Indian Wells title since 2001. On that occasion Serena Williams defeated Kim Clijsters to win only her second WTA Premier title. On the tour it will be the youngest ever WTA Premier Mandatory final contested since the category was introduced in 2009.
At the age of 20 years and 153 days, Osaka is the youngest finalist at the tournament since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Should she win, she would become the youngest winner since Ana Ivanovic in 2008 (20 years, 138 days).
Tough Roads to the #BNPPO18 Final:
🇷🇺 Daria Kasatkina
d. Siniakova
d. [13] Stephens
d. [2] Wozniacki
d. [10] Kerber
d. [8] Venus Williams🇯🇵 Naomi Osaka
d. Sharapova
d. [31] Radwanska
d. Vickery
d. Sakkari
d. [5] Pliskova
d. [1] Halep— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 17 March 2018
Kasatkina’s top 10 milestone
A win against Osaka wouldn’t just give Kasatkina the biggest title in her career. It would also move her into the top 10 for the first time. She has already illustrated her potential by defeating a top 2 player five times before she turns 21 – Wozniacki twice, Angelique Kerber twice and Simona Halep once. Out of active players, only Maria Sharapova and both of the Williams sisters have produced more wins.
Number of wins over a top 2 player before turning 21
Serena Williams – 18
Venus Williams – 14
Maria Sharapova – 7
Daria Kasatkina – 5
Note: Kasatkina doesn’t turn 21 until May 7th.
There is big money at stake
The winner of both the women’s and men’s finals will take home a total of $1,340,860. For both Osaka and Kasatkina that will equate to more than 30% of what they have earned throughout their entire careers.
If Osaka wins her career prize money tally would be $2,823,913. Meaning that the Indian Wells winner’s cheque would equate to 47.5% of her career earnings.
If Kasatkina wins, she would earn $4,119,811 after the tournament ends (not counting her first round loss in the women’s doubles at Indian Wells). This would work out as 32.5% of her career earnings.
Osaka’s underdog bid
Currently ranked 44th in the world, Japan’s Osaka is bidding to join an elite group that has won the title unseeded. Since the tournament’s birth in 1989, only four unranked women’s have progressed to the final. Jenny Byrne (1989), Serena Williams (2001), Kim Clijsters (2005) and now Osaka (2018). Williams and Clijsters are the only two to have won so far.
Kasatkina is seeded 20th in this year’s draw.
Unseeded champions @BNPPARIBASOPEN:
1999 – Serena Williams
2005 – Kim Clijsters20yo Naomi Osaka will have a chance to join that list on Sunday. #BNPPO18
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 17 March 2018
National ranking milestones on the line
For both players, a win would have an impact on their retrospective counties. Should Kasatkina win, she will rise to world No.9 and become the highest ranked Russian player. A position she has never held in her career. Svetlana Kuznetsova is the current Russian No.1.
Regardless of what happens, Osaka will become the highest ranked Japanese player since Ai Sugiyama’s 25th in 2009 (w/c March 9th). She will be 26th as runner-up and rise to 22nd if she wins.
